


the space we share

by taakofromtaz (octolingkiera)



Series: kiera's taz tumblr drabbles [3]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, good good family angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-03-11 11:57:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13523775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/octolingkiera/pseuds/taakofromtaz
Summary: “You’re family.”(with lup gone, taako is a mess. lucretia just wants to help.)tumblr prompt fill





	the space we share

**Author's Note:**

> for maximum pain, this is a few days before the mindwipe. >:3c 
> 
> this one got away from me and ran WAY long. but its v good imo lol
> 
> originally posted on tumblr. thanks again anon!!

When Taako isn’t helping Barry search for Lup, he’s sitting in an armchair in the commons of the ship, pretzeled up in a tangle of his own limbs, curled and hunched into his chair as if he’s trying to make himself smaller than he already is. He usually at least looks like he’s reading a book—and sometimes he actually is—and he’s been caught sleeping or meditating in such a position more than once. He looks lost, like a piece of him is missing, like his motivation grew legs and walked away.

It breaks Lucretia’s heart.

If she had to pick one of her crewmates to hold the title of Most Emotionally Vulnerable, she would have to give it to Taako, hands down. (Trying to tell herself of a hundred years ago that would probably result in uproarious laughter and absolute disbelief. She’s grown a lot since then.) He does a good job of hiding it most of the time, but Lucretia tends to notice more than the others.

When she walks into the commons today, Taako jolts with a start that means he must’ve been asleep. He has bags under his eyes and the slump of his shoulders tells her he hasn’t rested in a long time. His ear twitches in her direction and she watches him lift his heavy head to watch her. Everything about him screams exhaustion.

_Not for much longer. If this goes according to plan, he’ll be happy soon. It’ll be like this never happened._ Lucretia crosses the room and sits on the couch, shifting the notebooks from her arms to her lap. She has another fifteen years or so to edit—she doesn’t want to erase anything that she doesn’t have to.

About twenty minutes go by with the only sound being the scratch of pen flying across the page. Lucretia tries to ignore the feeling of eyes trained on the side of her face, but she’s finding it harder and harder to concentrate the longer she sits here. Finally, she asks, “Where’s Barry?”

Taako starts again. Lucretia thinks he might have been staring at her without really seeing her and feels the smallest bit guilty. “Oh,” Taako says, voice rough in a way that might be because of exhaustion. He clears his throat. “I dunno.”

Lucretia frowns. “How long have you been here?”

“What time is it?” He slumps harder against the chair and gives a slow blink.

Lucretia looks towards the clock mounted on the wall. It’s still in the same place even after a hundred years, even though it’s been taken down and modified gods know how many times. “It’s eight-thirty.”

“In the morning?”

“At night.”

“Oh,” Taako says again. Lucretia’s brow furrows, watching him blink slowly. He stretches one leg and then the others. His knees pop and she winces, but he seems unbothered.

“When was the last time you slept?” Lucretia asks, moving her notebooks to the side and moving closer to Taako.

His eyes unfocus and she can practically see him thinking. It takes far longer than she likes for him to come back with an answer. “A few days.”

Lucretia frown and leans closer to him. “Taako. You should really get some sleep. This isn’t healthy.”

“Elves don’t sleep,” Taako tells her, as if she hadn’t seen him sleep a million times in the past hundred years.

“Bullshit.” Lucretia moves to her feet and approaches the chair. “C’mon. You need to sleep.”

“Can’t,” Taako says, tucking his hands into himself, stubbornly refusing to budge.

Lucretia sighs and steps back. “Why not?” She tries not to sound too annoyed, but she hates seeing him like this and can’t quite hide her frustration.

Taako wilts before her eyes. “Barry’s out looking for Lup.”

Of course. Lucretia should have guessed. When the mission first stared, the twins never slept without the other around. They said it was impossible for either of them to sleep or even meditate without the presence of each other. Over the course of at least the next dozen years, as the crew got closer, it was easier for the two to sleep with the other crewmates and sometimes even alone. However, since Lup’s disappearance, Taako has refused to sleep without Barry.

Lucretia’s pretty sure the arrangement isn’t just for Taako’s benefit.

“You can sleep in my room,” Lucretia offers, scooping her notebooks off the couch. “I’m just making copies of my journals.” The lie rolls smoothly off her tongue and she hopes he doesn’t see her wince.

Taako hesitates and visibly debates with himself. “I fine, Luce. Really.” His voice is weak and exhausted.

“Taako, just come with me. You can sleep while I work. I won’t go anywhere, promise.” She smiles at him and it feels painful. “You’re family.”

She can see the exact second the fight leaves him. “Yeah,” he concedes. “Yeah, alright.” He unfolds from the chair and she marvels at how such a big personality comes from such a small body.

As she leads the way to her room, she can’t help be think about how much she’s going to miss him.

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comments are much appreciated!
> 
> [check me out on tumblr!](https://taakofromtaz.tumblr.com/)


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